Community Corner
Memorial to Vietnam War Soldiers Unveiled
Hundreds gather downtown to see the memorial built enirely with private donations, commemorating the young men who gave their lives in Vietnam.
Hundreds of families, veterans and elected officials gathered in downtown San Jose Saturday for a moment that was a long time in coming, some 40 years after the last American came home from the war in Vietnam.
As some held framed pictures of young men who have stayed forever young—the way they were when they were drafted and left San Jose to fight in a land far away—the "Sons of San Jose" monument was dedicated with solemnity and not a few tears.
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It commemorates the 142 young men who were killed in action. One, Robert Susumu Masuda, was listed missing in action 44 years ago.
The glossy black granite, in a pocket park just east of the Sharks arena on West Santa Clara St., might help finally honor the soldiers who fought in a war so unpopular that its returning vets were often vilified or attacked on the street, wrote Joe Rodriguez for the San Jose Mercury News.
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Rodriguez wrote about several of the young men who died at ages of 18, 20 or 21, who never came home to marry or hold their nephews and nieces in their arms.
Among those who came to the dedication, were veterans who served with—or grew up with—some of the names on the wall. Army Sgt. Mike Frangadakis, now a broker in Los Gatos, told Mercury News reporter Pat May Saturday that he carried many as a litter carrier and ambulance driver in Vietnam.
One soldier was his best friend since sixth grade, Steve Ohara. "And then, after he was killed, I was the pallbearer at his funeral, which took place the week I was leaving for Vietnam."
The San Jose Vietnam War Memorial Foundation, formed in 2008, was spearheaded by Dennis Fernandez Sr. and it became a single-focus effort to get it done. It was paid for entirely by private donations.
It draws inspiration from the memorial in Washington D.C., etched with 52,000 names, designed by Maya Lin. This memorial was designed by Steinberg Architects. The effort to build the wall got a significant boost from Toeniskoetter Construction, whose CEO, Charles Toeniskoetter, is a Vietnam War veteran.
Even after the opening ceremony, the San Jose Memorial Wall Foundation is still raising funds to complete the project and pay for the maintenance of the wall.
For more information about those efforts includes May 18 memorial dance and an Aug. 5 benefit golf tournament at the Coyote Creek Golf Course see The San Jose Vietnam War Memorial Foundation website.
NAMES
Each name is accompanied by the date the soldier was born and the date he died. Click on the links, and the complete profile and you can see the date and incident in which the soldier died.
PFC RONALD LEE ALESHIRE
PFC JIMMIE MARRON ALVAREZ
CAPT WARREN LESTER ANDERSON
SGT JOSEPH ANTOGNINI III
SP4 ALONSO ARAGON Jr
LCPL STEPHEN ANTHONY BALTERS Jr
SSG JEFFREY THOMAS BEARDSLEY
SGT ROBERT EUGENE BEAUMONT
PFC LESLIE ALLEN BELLRICHARD
SGT THOMAS HOWARD BERGREN
SP4 RAYMOND BERNAL Jr
CPL THOMAS GEORGE BROCKER
SP5 KERMIT EDWARD BURKEY
SP4 MICHAEL EDWARD BURNS
WO GARY WILLIAM BUTLER
PFC CHARLES BYRD
SP4 GEORGE J CARRILLO Jr
PFC TIMOTHY MICHAEL CARROLL
SA JACKIE CHARLES CARTER
PFC MANUEL ANGEL CASTILLO
SGT GERALD CERVANTES
AX3 ARMANDO CHAPA Jr.
SGT ROBERTO COBARRUBIAS
CPL JAMES MILES COMBS
PVT CHRISTOPHER CORWIN COOK
SGT WILLIAM DONALD COOK Jr
PFC RICHARD JAMES COSTON
CPL JIMMY DOUGLAS CURRY
SP4 KENNETH ALAN DAHL
A1C DAVID MICHAEL DAVISON
AO2 THOMAS JOE DAWSON Jr
SP5 LOUIS SCOTT DI BARI
SP5 WOLF-DIETER DIETZ
SSG JUAN LEON GUERRERE DUENAS
SP5 RICHARD MONROE DYKE
SGT JOSEPH ESCAMILLA
PFC JAIME ESQUIVEL
SP4 GERALD FRANCIS FILIPPI
PFC EDWARDO FLORES
SP4 RICHARD ALLAN FORBES
SP4 WILLIAM HOLT FOWLER III
CPL BRUCE GARY FRIEL
SFP3 RICHARD GARZA Jr
SP4 KENNETH GILBERT GELLERMAN
PFC ROBERT GONZALES
SP4 MICHAEL JOHN GRECU
WO SCOTT CRAIG GRISWOLD
PFC DALLAS GEORGE GRUNDY
SP4 PHILLIP O GUILLEN
LCPL ERNEST LEMAS GUTIERREZ
PFC ROBERT RALPH HAMMER
CPL JOHN LEWIS HARLEY
PFC DEAN ALLEN HARRIS
CPL ROBERT EARL HARRIS
CPL MICHAEL MAXWELL HATZELL
SGT DAN DAVID HAYES
PFC GLENN ELDEN HEFLIN
CPT JAMES REEVE HEIMBOLD
PVT LEROY HENSLEY
PFC ROBERT FRANCIS HINKSTON
SSGT MELVIN DOUGLAS HOLCOMB
PFC FRED LEE HOTTINGER
SGT HOWARD EUGENE HURST
1LT JOHN WILLIAM IRVING Jr
SGT ROBERT ALLEN JANS
SP4 ROBERT STEVENS JERNBERG
LCDR LARRY MICHAEL JORDAN
CPL THEODORE C KAPPMEYER
MSG DANIEL DUANE KEYES
PFC MICHAEL GEORGE KINDRED
CPL LOYD EUGENE KINSWORTHY
SGT JOHN MICHAEL KOENIG
PFC WALTER KOEPPE Jr
SGT RUSSELL WALTER KRILL
SP4 JEFFERY DAVID KUERSTEN
CPL MARION DOMINIC LA ROSA
PFC JOSEPH LEDESMA
SFC JOHN EDWARD LOPEZ Jr
SGT CHESTER GEORGE LYONS
PFC CESAR JABONILLO MAMON
SP4 WILLIAM A MANSERGH Jr
LCPL ERNESTO MARTINEZ
SSG ROBERT SUSUMU MASUDA
PFC JOHN ALBERT Mc GEHEE
SSG WILLIAM DAVID Mc GIVERN
PFC RICHARD HAROLD Mc GUIRE
SP5 DAVID PHILLIP MEDINA
PFC RUDOLPH MELENDEZ
SGT JOSEPH LOUIS MENDOZA
SP4 MICHAEL MERENO
PFC ROBERT GAIL MILLER
SGT ANGELO RAYMOND MORALES
CPL CARLOS GARCIA MUNOZ
CPL TONY VALDEZ NASTOR
SP4 KENNETH LAWRENCE NEAL
SP4 STEVE MASAO OHARA
MAJ JACK COLEMAN OWENS
PFC WILLIAM ALLEN PALENSKE
SP4 RICHARD MICHAEL PATRICK
PFC RAYMOND ALLAN PETERSEN
WO DONALD RAY PHIPPS
PSGT JOHN RICHARD POSO
SP4 TIMOTHY COLE PROUDFOOT
SP4 MIGUEL ANGEL PUENTES
HM2 ALEX LEON QUIROGA
CPL JOHN ARTHUR RAMIREZ
SP5 LYNN MURRAY RANDALL
SP4 RUDOLPH SOTELO RENTERIA
SP5 DUANE LAWRENCE RICHARD
SP4 JOSE ANTO RIVERA-BERMUDEZ
WO WILLIAM S ROBERTSON III
SP4 FLOYD IRWIN ROBINSON
2LT JOE IGNACIO RODRIGUEZ
PFC GILBERT RUIZ
CPL DAVID FRANK SANTA-CRUZ
PFC GILBERT SERRANO
LCPL SAMUEL ARTHUR SHARP Jr
SGT DAVID HOWARD SHOEMAKER
PVT ROSENDO FLORES SILBAS
SP4 CHARLES LENET SMITH
CWO JAMES DOUGLAS SMITH
SP4 JOHN CALVIN SMITH
PFC MATTHEW EDWARD SMITH
PVT EUSEBIO SOLIS
PVT KENNETH LYLE SPITZER
PVT DANIEL EDWIN STROBBE
PFC JON TASCH
PFC KENNETH CARL TITSWORTH
1LT GRADY THOMAS TRIPLETT
SP4 RICHARD LEE TRISLER
SP4 HOMER URRABAZO
LCPL PATRICK JOHN VASQUEZ
CPL JOSE LOUIS VIERAS
CPL DONALD JAMES WADE
PFC GEORGE ALLEN WALDRON
CPL THOMAS JAMES WALKER
SGT CRAIG LESLIE WALTON
CPL LARRY ELLIS WILLIAMS
PFC DONALD RAY WILLIAMSON
PFC DENNIS HAROLD WRIGHT
CPT MURRAY JOHN WYMAN
1LT AUGUSTO MARIA XAVIER
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